Chapter 8: Working at The Intersection of Eating Disorders and Body Image in Transgender and Gender Diverse Populations

An emerging trend in eating disorder (ED) care involves increased recognition that EDs are unique and affect diverse people—that is, EDs are not just a White, middle-class disorder. The importance of considering these intersectional identities is quite evident when working with transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals. While this chapter will attempt to provide some guidance on working with gender diverse people as a whole, acknowledging and understanding that gender diverse people also have other intersectional identities is important. Some of the other identities we consider in our work include the intersection of gender identity and race, ethnicity, age, ability status, body size, sexual orientation, health conditions, and a host of others. For example, working with a person who identifies as gender diverse and Black will differ from working with a person who identifies as nonbinary, Christian, and affluent, or a person that is cisgender, White, and disabled.